Final Cut Studio Category

My thoughts on Final Cut Pro X

Apple just gave a sneak preview of Final Cut Pro X at the NAB Supermeet. I wasn't there so thanks to everyone who tweeted and posted photos of the event.

There's a lot to like - 64-bit Cocoa rewrite, OpenCL and Grand Central Dispatch support, color management to prevent gamma shifts, no rendering or transcoding, native support for DSLRs and many more features. You can read the full list here.

Apple only talked about new features so there was no mention of existing features that had made it into the new version. Consequently the presentation left more questions than it answered - what about XML, EDLs, tape workflows, scopes, DVD output? We won't find that out until the release.

There is an emphasis on automation in the new version - it can automatically detect audio hum and remove it, and the magnetic timeline can simplify L- and J-cuts by automatically moving clips to a new layer to prevent clip collisions. I think this is great, as anything that makes me a faster editor makes me a better editor, however I can see a lot of cases where this would be unwanted and I hope it can be disabled when necessary.

My favorite features are the 64-bit rewrite, the lack of rendering, the new keyframe editor and Plural Eyes-style audio syncing.

The feature I'm most unsure about is dynamic tracks. Tracks will appear and disappear as you move clips around and new tracks will be added when you use the magnetic timeline. This could cause organizational problems if you always put music on tracks 8-9 for instance, and it would be a nightmare if you need to output a multi-channel show. Apple sought professional feedback so I assume this issue was brought up and that they have a solution for it.

There was no mention of other apps in the suite. Final Cut Pro X will be sold in June via the App Store so this means it will be a self-contained app. There is no way to sell a group of apps via the store, however it would still be possible to sell them separately like iWork. It also means there is no way of upgrading if you own an old version of Final Cut Pro, however the $299 price point is the same as the FCP 6 to FCP 7 upgrade cost.

What about my top 5 developer requests? Number 1 looks to be done; I'm not sure about any of the others.

Although I haven't tried the new version, I'm cautiously optimistic. There are a lot of features designed for speeding things up and that's always a good thing. It's also clear that Apple isn't trying to do everything, so it leaves a lot of gaps for third-party developers like myself to fill. As it is an App Store app, it won't overwrite the old version of Final Cut Studio so you can still go back if anything is missing.

The new version would be great for a lot of my smaller projects for the web but I don't yet know how well it would translate to larger projects where I need Cinema Tools, tape ingest / output and DVD creation. That's something I'll only find out when it's released.

P.S. Anyone else prefer the old icon to the new one?

Update: "Today was just a sneak peak of Final Cut Pro, stay tuned," an Apple representative told The Loop. This implies that there may be additional apps available separately.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Tuesday April 12 2011 10:53 PM to Apple, Final Cut Studio, Analysis
2 comments Posted Permalink

Top 5 developer requests for the next Final Cut Pro

Lots of people have been posting wish lists for the next version of Final Cut Pro with such features as 64-bit support, OpenCL, etc. One thing I haven't seen is a wishlist from a developer's perspective, so here's mine.

I've included a description of the feature, how likely I reckon it is to be implemented and what we could do with it if it was.

1. Store settings in preference lists (plists)

Apple introduced a standardized format for preference files in Mac OS X that allows applications to easily read and write from them. Final Cut Pro, which dates back to the days of OS 9, uses a proprietary binary format that only Apple knows how to read from and write to. It is also the reason why Final Cut Pro preferences get corrupted so easily.

What we could do with it: You could choose to backup only certain settings in Preference Manager instead of the entire file. Path Manager could modify and sync Final Cut Pro scratch disks.

Likelihood: Certain. If they've rewritten FCP, there is no reason why they would not use the standardized OS X preference system.

2. Make the FCP project file format more open

There is currently no method of reading from or writing to Final Cut Pro project files. The workaround is to export an XML copy from Final Cut Pro. The downsides to this are that Final Cut Pro has to be running, exporting to XML is slow and it locks up FCP so the user can't continue working.

There are several solutions to this problem - Apple could keep the format the same and release detailed specifications, they could create an API for reading and writing or they could convert the Final Cut Pro project format to XML (perhaps with binary and plain-text options like Maya). I don't really mind which method they choose as long as a solution arrives.

What we could do with it: FCP Versioner would be faster and would no longer lock up Final Cut Pro when exporting to XML. Pro Media Tools would be much faster and would not require FCP to be installed in order to read an FCP project file.

Likelihood: 50/50. I'm sure Apple will make big changes to the file format but we'll have to see if these are developer-friendly.

3. Add a playback and timecode API

The only way to get timecode from a Final Cut Pro project is to setup a fake MIDI device to receive the information. The downside to this method is that it is not very user-friendly - the user must specifically setup the device as a control surface in FCP and must have the audio mixing window open at all times.

A playback and timecode API would allow developers to control the Final Cut Pro timeline and receive timecode without any intervention on the user's part.

What we could do with it: Final Cut Pro syncing for Cut Notes with no complex setup for the user.

Likelihood: Ordinarily I would think this was unlikely but there are rumors that there will be an official iPad control app for Final Cut Pro. If this rumor is true, I highly doubt that Apple is using the user-unfriendly method of setting it up as a MIDI control surface.

4. Programmatically initiating exports

With Apple Events, developers can send commands directly to Final Cut Pro for such tasks as saving a project or highlighting a clip in a bin. There is no way to automatically export a sequence to a QuickTime movie without user intervention.

What I'd like is a command that exports all or part of a sequence to a file the developer specifies along with the ability to specify export settings such as the codec, if it is self-contained, whether or not it should contain markers, etc.

What we could do with it: This would be incredibly useful for a super-secret future product...

Likelihood: Unlikely.

5. Adding interface items

All third-party applications have to be launched separately and there is currently no way to integrate a third-party application with Final Cut Pro. What I would like is the ability to add interface buttons or menu items to send data to third-party applications in the background. The applications could then send data back without the user leaving Final Cut Pro.

What we could do with it: Lots of things, including adding buttons to manually initiate FCP Versioner backups from within FCP, a "Send to Edit Detector" command that cuts up a clip on your timeline at each edit point, an "Add Quick Bin" menu item, and more.

Likelihood: It's a long shot.

I hope at the very least that 1 and 2 are implemented in the new FCP. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Do any other developers have requests?

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday April 11 2011 11:41 AM to Apple, Final Cut Studio, Analysis
0 comments Posted Permalink

Restoring the default Compressor settings

Does your Compressor settings window have missing items or is completely blank? Here's how to restore the default Apple-supplied settings.

1. Close Compressor if it is open.
2. Navigate to your Applications folder.
3. Ctrl-click on the Compressor application and select Show Package Contents.
4. Navigate to Contents/Resources/English.lproj (or whatever your language is).
5. Cmd-click the following folders to select them: Apple Devices, DVD, Formats, Other Workflows.
6. With all of them selected, ctrl-click on one of them and select Make Alias. Four aliases will be created with filenames like "Apple Devices alias" and "DVD alias".
7. Move the four aliases to ~/Library/Application Support/Compressor.
8. Launch Compressor.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Wednesday January 26 2011 2:01 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
0 comments Posted Permalink

Bootcamp volumes can cause Final Cut Pro hangs

You can add one more item to the ever-expanding list of things that break Final Cut Studio: Bootcamp. Yes, if you have a Bootcamp partition, Final Cut Pro can in some instances hang at startup and refuse to launch.

Luckily the fix is very simple. It seems to be caused by Spotlight indexing and users have confirmed that adding their Bootcamp volume to Spotlight's Privacy list in System Preferences solves the issue for them. Apparently you need several restarts to get the setting to stick but once it does, Final Cut Pro should be able to launch again.

If you did experience this issue, please let Apple know.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Wednesday January 26 2011 1:59 AM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
0 comments Posted Permalink

Mac OS X 10.6.6 breaking Final Cut Studio

Last month I reported that ProKit 6.0.1 was breaking Final Cut Studio (primarily DVD Studio Pro) for some users. Well, it would appear that OS X 10.6.6 automatically installs ProKit 6.0.2* which is causing the issues all over again.

Here are some forum threads on the topic:
LAFCPUG: WARNING: Mac OS 10.6.6 UPDATE (ProKit 6.0.2)
LAFCPUG: I think I installed ProKit 601 by mistake - crashing
Apple Discussions: Prokit 5 v 6 Cant use DVDSP and iLife at the same time

Not everyone will suffer problems with ProKit 6.x but if you're one of the unlucky few, follow these steps to downgrade to ProKit 5.1. Note that this will probably break iLife '11.

It is clear that Apple's engineering team is having difficulty working out what the problem is, so if you are experiencing this issue you should file a bug report (requires free developer registration) and give them as much information as possible.

* For some reason I still have ProKit 5.1 after installing OS X 10.6.6. I don't know why this is but I'm not complaining.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Sunday January 16 2011 12:03 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
0 comments Posted Permalink

Restoring an older version of ProKit

ProKit 6.0.1 has been breaking Final Cut Studio for some people and so far there has been no fix from Apple.

Here is how to restore an older version:

1. You will need to obtain a copy of the old ProKit.framework file either from a friend, another computer on the network or a Time Machine backup.

Update: I have discovered that the version of ProKit 5.1 on Apple's site that is supposedly Leopard-only is also Snow Leopard-compatible. You may need to install ProKit 5.0 first. Before installing, open up the Terminal in /Applications/Utilities and type sudo pkgutil --forget com.apple.pkg.ProAppRuntime, then enter your admin password.

2. In the Finder, navigate to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks and copy the ProKit.framework file to your desktop.

3. Ctrl-click on the file on the desktop and select Compress "ProKit.Framework".

4. Delete the original file from your desktop and empty the trash. Leave the compressed file there for now.

5. Copy the older ProKit.framework file to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks, overwriting the newer one. You will most likely need to enter an administrator password to do this.

6. Final Cut Studio applications should now work and it should be safe to delete the compressed file. If they do not, try restarting your computer.

7. If something goes wrong, decompress the compressed file and copy it back to the PrivateFrameworks directory.

(The reason for compressing the file is to ensure that OS X doesn't continue to recognize it as a framework and potentially try to link to it.)

If the installer refuses to install, try using Pacifist to extract the files or try this manual method (be careful).

Posted by Jon Chappell on Tuesday October 26 2010 3:15 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
38 comments Posted Permalink

ProKit 6.0.1 breaking Final Cut Studio

ProKit 6.0.1 came out last week with bug fixes for Logic and Aperture. No Final Cut Studio changes were mentioned, and in fact it would seem that a number of people have experienced problems after updating:

Apple Discussions - Installed Pro Kit 6.0.1... all Pro Apps down!

Apple Discussions - DVD Studio Pro 4.1.2/ProKit Update 6.0.1

LAFCPUG - WARNING - Just did Prokit update

Ken Stone - Last week's Pro Kit update 6.0.1-DVD studio Pro crashing

For the record, I know several people who have installed this update successfully with no problems whatsoever, but as this update doesn't specifically address anything in Final Cut Studio it's better to give it a miss.

Anyone experiencing issues should report the bug to Apple or leave feedback. There isn't a fix for this as of yet but some people have managed to repair it by restoring the old ProKit.framework file from their Time Machine backups or from another machine on their network.

(Note: FCS Remover won't help in this instance because ProKit is now integrated into OS X and FCS Remover never removes files that reside in the System directory for safety reasons.)

Update: Here's how to fix it.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday October 25 2010 7:03 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
1 comment Posted Permalink

FCP error: Project is unreadable or too new for this version

If you're getting the error message "Project is unreadable or may be too new for this version of Final Cut Pro" when you try to open a particular project, it may be due to one of three reasons:

1. The project was created with a newer version of Final Cut Pro. Make sure you have the latest version, or alternatively ask the person who gave you the project to export an XML file that you can import into an earlier version.

2. The project's metadata may be invalid. Use Project Repair to fix this.

3. The project is corrupt. There is unfortunately no fix for this. You will need to restore the project from a backup or autosave. Our FCP Versioner software automatically backs up your project every time you save it, and Autosave Cleaner can archive autosaves so that they are never automatically deleted by Final Cut Pro.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday October 25 2010 2:15 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
0 comments Posted Permalink

Removing the codec name from a Compressor destination

Whenever you export a Compressor batch, Compressor normally appends the name of the codec to the file, such as "-DV NTSC" for instance. This isn't always desirable.

Here's how to remove it:

1. Go to the Destinations tab.

2. Click the plus button (+) and select Local.



3. Browse to a location.

Important: Do not browse to the same directory as the source files otherwise the new files will overwrite the source media.

4. Under Output Filename Template, set it to Source Media Name. You can use the drop-down button to select template options.



5. Drag the new destination onto the clips in your batch.



6. If you want to use the new destination by default in all new batches, go to Preferences and set Default Destination to the destination you just created.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Saturday October 23 2010 12:57 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
1 comment Posted Permalink

Final Cut Pro bug - Long delays with extended markers

There's a bug in Final Cut Pro 7 that causes the application to beachball when you load transitions into the Viewer. This seems to occur if you have long clips with long extended markers in them (i.e. markers with a duration longer than one frame).

Here's how to replicate:
1. Go to the Effects tab and drag a Bars & Tone generator into the Viewer.
2. Change the duration to 30 minutes (00:30:00;00) and bring it into the timeline. Repeat this step to add a second clip next to the first.
4. Select the first clip, press M to add a marker and then press M again to open up the marker settings dialog.
5. Set the marker duration to 15 minutes (00:15:00;00).
5. Add a cross-dissolve transition between the two clips.
6. Double-click the transition to open it in the Viewer. It will take several seconds to open and will probably beachball.

Observations:
* The extended marker does not need to pass through the transition in order for this to occur.
* Shortening the marker to 20 seconds only causes a brief delay.
* The effect still occurs with short master clips but it was lessened and did not beachball on my system.
* The effect is exacerbated if both clips on either side of a transition use long extended markers.
* This only seems to occur when you use the default transition length or values close to it (00:00:08;28 for NTSC). If you lengthen the transition significantly, it loads much faster. I'm not sure why this is - perhaps it was an anomaly on my system.
* The quantity of markers makes a difference. Loading the transition for a clip with ten 30-second markers takes significantly longer than loading one for a clip with just a single 30-second marker.
* The length of the clip on the timeline is irrelevant. It is the length of the master clip that makes the difference. This explains why even relatively short markers can experience this effect, as there may be a large number of them within a single master clip.

Workarounds:
* Give your markers a color that is not used for any other purpose, then go to Edit > Project Properties and hide markers for that particular color. This resolves the issue, and if you need to see them again, just go back to Project Properties and enable them. This is my recommended solution (thanks Nick).
* Use shorter or fewer markers.
* Split up master clips or export your timeline as a reference movie and put the markers on the exported clip. This workaround works better if your project is short.
* If you are using cross dissolves, consider emulating the effect with opacity keyframes instead.
* Instead of using extended markers, use single-frame markers with a color coding scheme - e.g. red for the beginning marker and green for the end marker.

Test Notes:
* I tested this on Final Cut Pro 7.0.2, OS X 10.6.4, QuickTime 7.6.6.
* Thanks to Thomas Berglund for his assistance in helping me replicate this.

Posted by Jon Chappell on Monday September 20 2010 2:58 PM to Apple, Software, Final Cut Studio
3 comments Posted Permalink

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